1/22The Heidts Rod Shop '71 Camaro project car cuts through the cones handily at the Street Challenge Autocross, and emerged with a respectable 34.2-second lap. Traditionally a supplier for street rods, Heidts is making inroads with parts for muscle cars.

In the waning days of a glorious Midwestern summer, an American tradition sings its familiar encore. Like baseball, hotdogs, family vacations, and concerts in the park, hot rodding elicits a similar warmth from inside. Friday night cruising, car shows, stoplight encounters, and popping a cold one while changing oil on a languid summer day are all uniquely Yank experiences, but our Midwest siblings have it the best. There's no use arguing about it. Maybe it's those bone-chilling winters or the endless springtime rains, but Midwesterners make up for it with plenty to spare after Memorial Day-and they don't let off the gas until Mother Nature puts it all to bed by Thanksgiving.

Midwesterners have a stewardship for our country's rich automotive heritage that escapes lesser regions. Take, for instance, this winter's auto bailout-which garnered little support outside core Midwestern states. These guys "get it," while others of us can't fathom it. When it's time to pick cities for the Power Tour, you don't see them rolling through D.C., San Francisco, New York City, Boston, or even Los Angeles, do you? No. They tag Chi-town and environs. What we're saying is that deep down, if you're a true muscle car motorhead, there's a little Midwesterner in you, no matter where you live. Believe it.

Motorheads roll through the suburbs of Chicago like blood coursing through the veins of a rutting bull. And at no point in the year are the automotive pheromones stronger than during the fall equinox. The place positively breathes octane. The scene of our story: the Goodguys Second Peak Chicagoland Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, on the weekend of September 19-21. Like a mechanical million man march, motorheads converge on the Chicagoland Speedway for summer's last stand, and the dedicated staff at Goodguys doesn't disappoint. In their never ending desire to cook up new ways for Americans to enjoy their muscle car iron, Goodguys-our partners in crime-have concocted the diabolically delicious Street Challenge Autocross for go-ers, and the Mighty Muscle corral for show-ers. And while elder statesmen hot rodders with their street rods and kustoms have plenty else to do at a Goodguys show, these two arenas are reserved strictly for our kind of roughhouse hooligans!

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Laguna Of The MonthThe car corral is always a fun place to hang out at a Goodguys show, and the one at Joliet didn't disappoint! We found the brother to our Laguna project-another '75 owned by Kevin Campbell. It's for sale (asking price: $14,250), and interested parties can call Kevin at 708-709-2886. We were impressed with the visuals, including a sweet two-stage paint job and Boyd Coddington wheels (17x8 and 18x9s rims with 255/45R17 and 295/45R18 rubber). This thing has been restored back to life with some careful appointments: new A/C, custom dual exhaust with Flowmasters, ceramic-coated Dynomax headers, rebuilt 350 with a new Demon carb, rebuilt Turbo 350 trans, QA1 shocks, lowering springs, two-inch drop spindles, new carpet, seals, headliner, package tray, scuff plates, and lots of new or rebuilt stock equipment. We wouldn't call it a strip terror, but it's a very nice driver with great curb appeal.